While they stood at the top of the scaffold, a meter shines bright and Dimmesdale thinks he sees it as a red 'A' in the sky. About this time, Pearl points a someone who is standing far off, Dimmesdale recognizes him as Chillingworth. Dimmesdale asks Hester who he is and how she knows him. She refuses to tell but Pearl states that she knows but when he bends down for her to tell him, she mearly whispers child gibberish, stating that she is punishing him for not standing with them at the scaffold the next day.
The next day at church, the church sexton hands Dimmesdale his glove that he had left on the scaffold saying that it must have been satan playing games. He also tells the Reverand about a meteor that was said to fall last night in the shape of the letter 'A' but most are interpretting it as 'a' for angel and a sign that Winthrop has reached Heaven but this does not comfort Dimmesdale.